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DREADNOUGHT (98) Built in 1801, Portsmouth.
Broken up in 1857.

  • After 13 years on the stocks she was finally launched at midday on Saturday 13 May when, in the presence of at least 10,000 people, Commissioner Sir Charles Saxton broke a bottle of wine over her stem.
    As the first man of war launched since the Union of the British Isles it was appropriate that at her head she had a lion couchant on a scroll bearing the Imperial arms as emblazoned on the Standard.
    After the launch Sir Charles gave a most sumptuous cold collation to the nobility and officers of distinction.
  • By half past one the DREADNOUGHT had been brought into dock for coppering and a great number of people went on board to view her.
    The following day, due to the exertions of Mr Peake, the builder, and the artificers of the dockyard, she was completely coppered in six hours and on the Monday morning she went out of dock for rigging and fitting.
  • Her first commander was Capt. James VASHON.
    After cruising for some time in the Channel he proceeded off Cadiz and Minorca where he continued until the summer of 1802
  • 1803 Capt. Edward BRACE, Flag-Captain to his old friend Sir William CORNWALLIS, Cawsand Bay.
    Capt. John Child PURVIS, Channel.
    he served under the orders of Ad. CORNWALLIS until he was promoted to Rear Admiral in April 1804.
  • 1804 Capt. John CONN, Vice Ad. COLLINGWOOD, Channel.
    All through the winter the weather off the French coast was bad with the gales badly damaging five of the major warships maintaining the blockade.
    DREADNOUGHT joined Ad. CORNWALLIS at the beginning of January and lost most of her powder when water poured into the magazine.
  • In the spring CORNWALLIS returned to England for a well earned rest and he was replaced by an ailing Lord GARDNER who allowed the close blockade to be slackened.
    On 30 March the French fleet escaped from Toulon and reached Cadiz on 9 April.
    The French and Spanish squadrons sailed separately from there and joined forces in Martinique on 26 May.
    On 15 May COLLINGWOOD and his squadron of seven ships received orders from the Admiralty to sail for Barbados.
    The arrival of NELSON from the Mediterranean in pursuit of the French changed things and DREADNOUGHT remained off Cadiz.
    At the beginning of October COLLINGWOOD moved his flag to the ROYAL SOVEREIGN.
  • At the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October DREADNOUGHT was the eighth ship in the lee division to enter the action. She started firing on the SAN JUAN at 2 o'clock and fifteen minutes later ran her on board and forced her to surrender. She then attempted to engage the PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS but the Spanish ship hauled off.
    During the battle DREADNOUGHT lost 7 killed 26 wounded.
  • Capt. Edward ROTHERHAM, flagship of Vice Ad. COLLINGWOOD, off Cadiz.
  • 1807 Capt. William LECHMERE, Channel fleet.
  • 1808-9 Capt. G. B. SALT, flagship of Rear Ad. Thomas SOTHEBY, off Ushant.
  • 1811 Capt. S. H. LINZEE, Lisbon in the spring.
    In the Baltic at the end of the year.
  • 1812 Out of commission at Portsmouth.
  • 1827 Lazaretto (hospital ship) at Milford.


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